Graphic model. Schematic representation of the sequence of events that we propose to occur immediately after wounding simple epithelia. (A) Intact tissue. (B) Wounding released tension and the tissue is displaced from the wound center toward the periphery (arrows). (C) The mechanical stress leads to a burst of intracellular calcium (blue) in the cells that surround the wound. (D) The increase of intracellular calcium (blue) combined with the effects of cell and cytoskeleton deformation determine a region around the wound where a pulse of actin filaments (red) is formed. (E) The actin filaments combined with myosin motors generate an actomyosin flow (red) that travels from cell to cell from the periphery toward the wound margin. (F) When the actomyosin flow reaches the wound margin it contributes to the formation of the wound edge actomyosin cable (green).